Sure, porting Android applications to run on BlackBerry devices isn’t fresh news by any means, but with the impending release of BlackBerry 10, RIM is attempting to bulk up its App World offerings in time for the big reveal. The Waterloo based company has already held two previous “port-a-thons” in an effort to get new developers on board, and it appears as though RIM is holding a final “last chance port-a-thon” before devices begin to hit the market later this month. Read more

A new leak suggests Samsung could be gearing up to launch the Galaxy Pocket Plus, the follow up to the Galaxy Pocket and an incredibly budget-oriented smartphone, very soon. The report claims Samsung could release the device globally at some point in the fist half of this year. While the Pocket Plus is aimed at the lower-end and prepaid market, it will sport some pretty modest specs.

Just last month Quoord Systems Limited released a beta version of its Tapatalk HD applicatioon in the Google Play Store, finally bringing the ubiquitous forum browser to Android tablets. Today, the application has left beta and has been put on sale for 24 hours to celebrate the milestone. Instead of the original $4.99 price tag, eager users can pick up the app for just $0.99. Scan the QR code or hit the Play Store link after the break to get in on the action. Read more

Sprint’s newest rugged smartphone, the Kyocera Torque E6710 , has officially made its way through the FCC today, marking an impending US launch. The device was originally revealed earlier this month in a set of leaked images.

Kyocera’s new budget handset sports Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, LTE, NFC and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. Other than those fairly basic connectivity components, the rest of the smartphone’s innards remain unknown. There’s no word on a release date, though we’d expect to see the Torque E6710 hit store shelves next month. Read more

Samsung inadvertently stole the show with the announcement of its Exynos 5 Octa at CES 2013. The eight-core processor features a combination of four ARM Cortex A7s and four ARM Cortex A15 chips. Considering Samsung’s historic reliance on ARM’s Mali-T604 GPU, we jumped to the conclusion that the company would incorporate the newest iteration of the Mali graphics component.

As it turns out, ‘multiple sources’ have confirmed that Samsung will instead be opting for the PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU clocked at 533MHz. Anandtech reports that the new choice of GPU will result in significantly improved performance equal to somewhere in between Apple’s A5X and the A6X processor.

Inside Samsung’s booth at CES 2013, the company’s AMOLED display roadmap was spotted, effectively outing its plans to release a 5-inch 1080p display at some point in Q1 of this year. Interestingly, the same board shows current HD screens matching the sizes of both the currently manufactured Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. And while no devices have been officially announced sporting a 5-inch 1080p display (440ppi), that sized screen would line up nicely with the projected specs of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S IV.

Android 4.2.2 is beginning to become something of a common occurrence, having already been seen running on a Nexus 4 in Brazil earlier this week. Today, more evidence has arose, as the new software has once again been spotted in a Czechoslovakian hands-on video. Despite the bump in the version number, the new firmware appears to remain mostly untouched. Although there’s no way to know if this is official, the surmounting evidence is making an impending update seem highly likely. Read more

Pantech has unquestionably been raising its game as of late, launching quality budget handsets like the Burst and Discover on AT&T. Yet another new device has been leaked today, this time for Verizon. It seems as though Big Red is destined to receive the Pantech Perception at some point in the coming weeks, marking the first “real” budget handset from the Korean manufacturer to hit the nation’s largest carrier. Leaked specs for the device include a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor and a eye-soothing 1196 x 720 resolution display.

Huawei has announced that it, too, will be joining the ranks of Samsung with the introduction of its own eight-core processor later this year. Currently, it’s unclear as to what the name of the new SoC, though it has been reported that it could be manufactured by micro processing giant TSMC.

If that wasn’t enough to get your mouth watering, Huawei executive Richard Yu has also promised a thinner successor to the already crazy-slim Ascend P which debuted at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Rather than opt for the same plastic shell, Yu added that the follow-up would utilize a metallic material to offer a more premium feel. Release dates for either weren’t announced, though we’re told to expect both to arrive in the second half of the year with debuts to be made at MWC next month.

Missed out on Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa and flexible display announcements? There’s no need to worry, the whole event is now available to stream over the intrawebs. While there may have not been too many Android-related announcements, most of the technology on tap will inevitably make its way into the palm of our hands in the near future. Hit the break to watch the full 1-hour video. Read more

Colton Kaiser

Born in southern California, Colton is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast. His first Android handset was the Motorola Backflip, though his passion for technology began when he received his first Windows 95-powered PC for a Christmas present as a child. Dumbfounded by the capabilities of the machine, he discovered an inherent fascination for software and electronics. Colton wrote for numerous news publications before establishing his own popular technology-oriented website. When he's not writing about or playing with the latest gadgets, he enjoys watching football and destroying friends in his fantasy league, preferably while eating Mexican food. Colton currently attends the University of Redlands, where he plans to major in journalism.